The Jewels of the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires: A Preview

September 5, 2014August 2, 2016

Official Poster of The Biennale des Antiquaires

It’s like a fairy tale: What began as a humble antiques fair in 1962 has morphed into the crème de la crème of elegant European salons. The Biennale des Antiquaires, held every other year at the Grand Palais in Paris, attracts thousands of art and antique lovers, collectors, and connoisseurs, who gather under the glass Nave of the Palais to “shop” the precious offerings of the world’s most prestigious dealers – including fine jewelry. The jewels of the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires will be open to the public from September 11 through September 21, following a glittering VIP-only preview party on September 10.

Giampiero Bodino Cuff Bracelet

While the total number of exhibitors has decreased this year to 81 from 150 in 2012, the number of haute joaillerie or “high jewelry” houses has increased to 14. They include Alexander Reza, who recently had a retrospective at the Met in New York, U.K jewelers David Morris and Graff Diamonds, and Italian jeweler Giampiero Bodino. China’s Wallace Chan is returning for the second time. Also returning to exhibit will be Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Chaumet, Christian Dior, Piaget, Siegelson, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

If you happen to find yourself in Paris in the next two weeks, don’t miss the jewels of the 27th Biennale des Antiquaires. If, like me, you are dreaming from afar, we’ll bring you more highlights from the exhibit in a future post.